


7 Things I Like About You

by topidolharuka



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-06 07:26:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13406337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topidolharuka/pseuds/topidolharuka
Summary: Taako was the complete package. Beautiful, witty, cultured, and surprisingly smart. He was no stranger to being the object of affection to men, women, and anyone in between. But shallow relationship after shallow relationship left him feeling unappreciated and disenchanted by the entire dating process. So when Kravitz, the man who nearly busted him for sneaking into the science lab months prior, suddenly asked him out, he could have said no. He should have said no.Instead, he proposed a challenge. If Kravitz could find 7 things he genuinely liked about who Taako truly was and not just who he appeared to be by Valentine's Day, Kravitz would get the honor of having the Taako Taaco on his arm as his Valentine's date. But this blooming romance could turn out to be more than either of them bargained for.





	1. Prologue

Taako Taaco never had trouble getting a date in his life. Famously described as an “ethereal beauty” by magazines and blogs back from his time on television, his looks were unparalleled on the university campus, save for his twin sister who sat on the same level. His fame from his days on Teen Master Chef and later his own spin-off Cooking It Up with Taako gave him a certain amount of notoriety even Lup could not quite match. His flashy presence and position on the school interplanetary research team showed he had beauty and brains. Despite all this, plenty of dates did not always equal plenty of relationships. More often than not people would fall for the blinding superficial details and never learn beyond that, leaving Taako increasingly lonely as time went on. It became easier to reject people outright than to try to find a diamond in the rough.

Kravitz shouldn’t have been any different. They hadn’t really talked much before this. Kravitz was also at a bit of fame on campus, with his chocolate brown skin and perfectly sculpted face. A student worker for campus security, a position more commonly known to the students as “professional narc,” he was not invited to many parties and always seemed to have a mysterious air about him. It shouldn’t have been any different.

But it was.

“Why?” The words came out of Taako’s mouth before he had time to fully comprehend them. They were both taken off guard by the unconventional response.

“Why do I want to go out with you?” Kravitz clarified, more visibly uncomfortable than Taako had ever seen another person.

“I mean of course there are the obvious reasons. Look at me, I’m gorgeous, I get it.” Taako’s words did not do much to calm Kravitz’s nerves. “But there are tons of gorgeous people on this campus, albeit not quite on my level. Why me?”

They had not met on the best of terms. Taako didn’t exactly have the cleanest record and had at one point been caught breaking into the research lab with his friend Magnus and Merle by Kravitz himself. They eventually sorted everything out as damages were minimal, but first impressions last a lifetime. 

“I beg your pardon, do you really think I’m so shallow to only go after a pretty face” It took Kravitz a little bit to find the words to form a coherent response.

This surprised Taako. “Then what is it that inspired you to ask me out?”

“I-I don’t know.” Kravitz stuttered “I just haven’t really been able to get you out of my mind since last Christmas.”

Taako paused. “I’ll tell you what, my dude. Valentine’s day is in a month. If you can tell me 7 things that you like about me, and I mean genuinely like about me by February 14th, then I’ll be your date.”

“What do you want me to do, track you down like a criminal?” Kravitz asked.

“We can talk roleplay after you pass my task.” Taako winked. “Here are the rules to the game. I’ll give you my number. You can ask me any question you want but for each answer I give, you have to answer one of my questions.”

“Is that it? It seems pretty simple.” Kravitz had to admit he was intrigued. 

Taako only scoffed. “I’ll give you a hint before we start. Never underestimate me.”


	2. The First Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako gets a text from Kravitz and it's. . . not what he expects.

“You’re dating the Grim Reaper?” These were the first words exclaimed by Taako’s sister Lup when she entered the threshold of their shared apartment. “Grim Reaper” was the nickname Lup had for Kravitz, which had yet to spread. Her rationale was that he was not only the definition of tall, dark, and handsome, which is ideally what you would want from anyone in that role, but also brought death to any talk of party planning on campus. It wasn’t necessarily because of anything he had personally done. The University of Neverwinter was a good school, but it was a party school. In recent years, the administration had been trying to crack down on underage drinking. Dr. Raven Queen, the Dean of Student Affairs who had launched this initiative, had put special pressure on Public Safety to break up parties and get the names of anyone involved with serving alcohol to minors.

“Did you completely miss the point of the story sis?” Taako asked. “We aren’t dating, we’re playing a game. Besides, he hasn’t even texted yet, I bet he gave up.”

“The Taaco twins are not for the faint of heart” Lup sighed. Just as she did, Taako’s phone vibrated. She grabbed it before he had a chance to.

“I spoke too soon, let’s see what lover boy has to say.” She cleared her throat before reading the text aloud. “Who is. . . Scott Disick?”

Taako didn’t know what to expect from Kravitz, but this certainly wasn’t it. Before he had time to question it, his phone buzzed again. “I’m sorry if this is out of the blue, it’s trivia night down at the Davey Lamp and no one on my team knows anything about pop culture.”

“Oh my god, he does bar trivia.” Lup handed the phone back to Taako. “What a nerd.”

“Doesn’t Barry do bar trivia?”

“Not anymore. They pretty much have a one strike policy when it comes to the fire department being called.” She shrugged.

Taako decided to respond. “Scott Disick is Kourtney Kardashian’s ex-husband and father to her three children. Arguably the best Kardashian. Now I get to ask you a question.”

“Thanks. Fire away” He responded almost immediately.

“Out of all the questions you could ask me, why start with that?”

This time it took a bit for Kravitz to respond. “Did I say something wrong? Playing this like a game of twenty questions seems so superficial, and to be honest I couldn’t think of a real great way to start a conversation.”

Taako appreciated his honesty. “Nah, you’re good my dude. I guess that technically counts as another question so it’s my turn again. Are you winning?”

He stretched back on the couch, playing on his phone. It wasn’t as if he was anxiously waiting for the replies, he just coincidentally had a lot of stuff to do on his phone.

“Despite our little slip up with the Kardashian question, my team is doing quite well. I’m very good at what I do. Do you have any hobbies not well known to the public?”

“Close up magic.” After Taako pressed send, he pondered whether that was the right response. When he was younger, he and Lup dabbled in magic tricks. He liked doing tricks where he made things appear and disappear. She liked making fireballs appear from her sleeves. But it’s not something he had done in a while and certainly not the coolest thing he could be doing. He decided to amend his response. “Just kidding, I wouldn’t do anything that lame. I like surfing.”

That was more fitting because surfing was notorious for being a cool-guy sport. “That’s too bad, I would have loved to see you do some magic.”

“Give it time” Taako texted with a winky face emoji. “So what are your goals? I assume you’re not planning to work for public safety for the rest of your life.”

He didn’t respond for a while. “You are correct. It’s a bit lame, but I want to be a detective. What about you?”

Actually that wasn’t lame at all. There were tons of hot detectives on TV. “Hey there Mr. Detective, you should already know that I’m part of the IPRE team. Naturally I hope to travel to a different plane of existence within my lifetime.”

“Wait, I thought that club was for interplanetary research. Like traveling between planets.”

“It is, but Davenport made a typo when ordering the merch for the club and it just sort of stuck.” The Institute of Interplanetary Research and Exploration in the nearby town of Goldcliff had recently started an initiative offering research grants to college students to get some new ideas into the research. It not only provided funding for the research and facilities itself, but also offered scholarships to those involved, making it a rather prestigious group to be a part of.

“Tell me more about it.” Taako spent the next couple hours explaining his research to Kravitz. While it fell out of line with the rules of the game they were playing by, it was something that Taako was secretly very passionate about. After about 45 minutes of texting, Taako decided to just bite the bullet and give Kravitz a call instead. He explained how different rocks and minerals could be used as conduits for specific types of energy. That was his role on the team. He had decided to take a geology class his freshman year because he needed a lab science and heard they got to study actual diamonds (a blatant lie) and actually found that he really enjoyed it. Something as simple as a rock or stone could be used to completely transform an object into something else. All of the science was beyond Kravitz. He was a smart guy, sort of a jack of all trades when it comes to different subjects. But this, this was beyond him. Still, there was something enchanting about listening to Taako talk. Bar trivia had long since ended, and although Kravitz had a morning class the next day, neither of them wanted to get off the phone.

* * *

 The next day Taako woke up as usual. He didn’t know what time he had actually fallen asleep. At some point they had hung up the phone and Taako had gone on with his evening routine. Talking to Kravitz was moderately enjoyable, but there was no man alive that could keep Taako away from his nightly skincare regimen. Even when he had lived on campus, Taako usually went off campus for lunch. The dining hall food was mediocre at best and inedible at worst. Luckily there were a lot of eateries in the area that were far more appealing and less expensive than a meal plan. He was joined by Magnus and Merle, two other members of the IPRE team and his unexpected best friends. Magnus was a big beefy mechanical engineering major with a soft spot for dogs, which were not allowed in the apartment complex they both lived at. Merle was a nontraditional student who had started his career as a doctor-- admittedly not a good one-- but felt compelled later in life to return to university to pursue religious studies with a double minor in environmental biology and dance. They were both also infamous for giving the worst dating advice.

Magnus had been dating his high school sweetheart basically since childhood and never so much looked at another woman. His advice usually consisted of “tell him how you feel” and “just say yes so we can double.” Merle, on the other hand, was a middle-aged divorcee with two estranged children. He never quite went into the details of why his marriage failed, but Taako had a sinking feeling it had something to do with his weird plant fetish. Talk about a turn-off.

“Hey Merle, can I ask you a question?” Magnus started immediately as they sat down. “

No, you cannot have the rest of my sandwich, I haven’t even started eating it yet.” Merle responded without missing a beat.

“I have a real, serious question.” Magnus frowned at the insinuation. “Then by all means.”

“You’re a religious guy, right?” Merle nodded in response. “Dogs go to heaven, right?”

Before Merle had a chance to answer, Lup slid into the booth with her boyfriend Barry not far behind. They had not been specifically invited to the outing, but it was almost as if the twins had this special ability to always know where the others was. “You better by me a coffee to make up for how little sleep I got last night.”

The statement had been directed at Taako. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to you.”

“Bitch please, you were on the phone all night. Our walls aren’t that thick, I could hear every word.” Lup had already left for class by the time Taako had woken up. Thursdays were the day she had her 8 am o-chem lab and she had never been a morning person.

“Believe me, I’m fucking well aware.” Taako turned to his sister’s boyfriend. “Did you get that Emergen-C I left for you Barry, you were sounding a little hoarse the other day.”

“You said you were spending the night at Magnus’s place, you can’t put this on me.” Lup jumped to the defense of her boyfriend, who had spat his diet coke all over the table. “But thank you for the Emergen-C, it was very thoughtful.”

“What were you doing on the phone so late?” Merle pressed, perhaps on the less interesting line of conversation.

Taako nonchalantly tossed his long blonde hair with a flip of his hand. “Oh, you know. Another suitor.”

“What’s he like? Are you going to actually date him this time or just chase him off like you normally do?” Magnus chimed in. “

It’s too early to tell. We’ll see if he passes my test.” Taako dismissed the question.

“Go easy on the guy, Taako.”

“Love is a wonderful thing my friend.” Magnus sighed. “I don’t know how I could even find the will to live if Julia wasn’t around.” “Oh my god guys you are taking this way too seriously. I talked to the guy for one night and he’s probably not that interested. I probably bored him to death with all my science talk.” Taako was like an exotic fish. Beautiful and elegant, but easily scared away. He wasn’t the type to rush into anything, most certainly not relationships. And if this was how his friends were going to be, he may very well just be good out here.


	3. The Second Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a new semester underway, Taako and Lup were met with a new challenge: what to wear for next week's big party. While scouring the mall for the perfect outfit, Taako ran into Kravitz himself. It's the shopping montage he always wanted.

“Neverwinter” was a bit of a misnomer. When Taako applied to the school at the behest of his sister, he was under the impression that it would be sunny and warm all year long. And while it was certainly one of the warmer cities in Faerun, the month of January still had its fair share of nippy weather. As it was the beginning of the semester and the real work hadn’t started yet, Taako found himself planning out the debauchery for the weekend. A local club was throwing a “back to school” party and he would be damned if he wasn’t in attendance. The only problem was unless you showed up unfashionably early, the wait to get into the club was always a nightmare, and he didn’t have anything party appropriate that wouldn’t risk frostbite. For this reason, he and Lup found themselves scouring the nearby mall for something show stopping.

            “Wow, florals for spring. That’s original.” Lup scoffed as she flipped through the clothing racks. Trips to the mall usually took the entire day, as the twins were notorious for having designer taste with a college student budget. But they didn’t let that stop them.

            “I would pay good money to see you in a floral dress” Taako responded without looking up from his rack. Lup’s fashion sense tended to be more on the edgy side.

            “I liked some of the stuff Louis Vuitton put out in his spring line.” She replied, picking up a black and gold romper and holding it up to her body.

            “Sure, if you like the gay pirate aesthetic” Taako shook his head, indicating that that romper was not an acceptable choice.

            Lup put it back and picked up a billowy peasant blouse which had been put in the wrong section. She held it up to Taako and closed one eye to visualize. “I don’t know, I think it’s the perfect look for you.”

            It was a fair jab. Taako was about to respond when he saw a familiar face in the corner of the store. “As I live and breathe, is that Kravitz I see?”

            It was, indeed, Kravitz. He looked confused, almost pained, as he awkwardly shuffled through the men’s section. Taako hit with a wave of excitement. “Hey Lup, I’ll be right back. I see a poor soul who needs my help.”

            “Don’t take too long, how can I buy something if I don’t know for sure that you like it?” But Taako was already gone.

            He walked quietly until he was behind Kravtitz. Then, with a loud voice, he announced, “Hey stranger!”

            Kravitz jumped, clearly startled. When he turned around and saw that it was Taako behind him, he visibly calmed down. Then he remembered that it was Taako, who knew he had a crush on him, and tensed up again. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

            “I’m shopping for a new outfit for the-“ Taako paused. Should he be telling Kravitz about the party?

            “Are you talking about the party at Wonderland on Friday?” Apparently he already knew. “I’m actually here for the same reason.”

            “Wait, you’re going to a party? Is that even allowed?” Taako spoke before he thought through his worlds. Luckily Kravitz found them charming.

            “Contrary to popular believe I am allowed to have a life outside of public safety. Besides, Wonderland is off campus and they are usually pretty good about not letting minors in.” Kravitz chuckled. It was true, Wonderland had a little bit of class. There were some local bars and clubs that, despite being 21+ on the books were mostly just places for freshman to get black out drunk and hook up with each other, Wonderland was actually a place where upperclassmen could be seen going.

            Taako looked at the blazer in Kravitz’s hands. “Please god tell me that is from your personal shopping and not what you are planning on wearing to the club.”

            Kravitz quickly put it back, pretty much answering Taako’s question for him.

            “Have you ever even been to a club?” Taako asked. Again there was no response, which was answer enough.

            “I usually work weekends.” With much effort, Kravitz managed to get a full sentence out.

            Yes. God, yes. This was all Taako wanted. Shopping for himself was fun. Shopping for others was his fucking passion. He grabbed Kravitz’s hands in his. “You came to the right fucking place.”

* * *

            “Now the blazer looked nice but was way too heavy, bear in mind that the club will be full and while it may be cold outside, it won’t be on the dance floor” Taako explained. Kravitz froze as soon as he heard the phrase “dance floor.”

            “So, I shouldn’t wear a blazer to a club?” Kravitz asked.

            “Not necessarily, it depends on the club and the environment.” Taako picked up a charcoal grey blazer. “This is a more appropriate blazer. See the low button and the thin lapel? Not to mention the fabric is lighter and the sleeves can be pushed up.”

            “Okay, I think I understand.” Kravitz took the blazer from Taako. He had miraculously picked up his exact size. “What else do I wear?”

            Taako looked at the man in from of him and pondered it for a second. He then ran and grabbed a couple more items. The first was a white t-shirt with an abstract black and white picture on it. Upon closer inspection it appeared to be an artistically rendered raven. He also carried a pair of black jeans- fitted, but not skinny. “Try this on.”

            Taako sat back as Kravitz shuffled into the fitting room. After what felt like an eternity, he decided to flip through the racks. He usually opted for a more androgynous look when it came to his fashion, occasionally opting more masculine or feminine depending on how he was feeling. This made shopping even harder. He wanted to be sexy but not too sexy, warm but not too warm, trendy but not like he was trying to follow to trends.

            “There you are!” He heard his sister’s voice from behind him. “’Be right back’ my ass.”

            “Sorry darling, I got caught up in something important.” He replied, happy that Lup was back to help him navigate his options.

            “I can’t decide between flame scarlet and grenadine.” She held up two dresses in slightly different shades of red.

            “That’s a tough decision.” Taako began forming outfits in his head, trying to figure out which would work better.

            Before he could reach a decision, the dressing room opened and Kravitz stepped out. Both twins paused and stared at him. “Hot damn.”

            “What do you think?” Kravitz didn’t feel as embarrassed as he thought he would. The clothing was not what he would normally pick out per say, but fit well within his clothing comfort zone. Not only that, but he had to admit it was a flattering look. Even so, standing in front of the guy he liked and his judgmental sister did up the pressure a notable amount.

            “I’ll be damned, you actually look good.” Lup nodded with approval. “We’ll just need to get him the right pair of shoes and some accessories.”

            “Don’t sound so surprised.” Kravitz replied to her first comment, but was genuinely pleased with the sentiment.

            “Hang on, your collar is messed up.” Taako walked over to where he stood and reached out to adjust the collar of the jacket. As Taako struggled with the fabric, which had proved itself to be rather difficult, Kravitz was painfully aware of the other’s proximity. Once he finished, Taako looked up and found that his face was less than a foot away from the taller man’s. As soon as they made eye contact, both of them jumped back.

“Th-thanks for that” Kravitz looked off to the side as he stuttered out his reply.

“Yeah, don’t mention it.” Taako responded in kind.

“Oh my god, you guys are just like some shitty movie” For that moment, they had forgotten that Lup was with them. This did not last for long. “Is there anywhere in the mall where I can buy popcorn.”

“Well my work here is done, I still have a lot of shopping to do and Lup is kind of having a dress crisis and I need to help her with that.” Taako quickly drummed up an excuse for leaving the situation.

“Oh yeah, I totally understand.” Kravitz began to walk back into the dressing room, then stopped. He turned back around. “I think you should go with the one on the left. I don’t know too much about fashion, but I think it would look really nice on you.”

* * *

            It was already dark by the time Taako and Lup had gotten back home and they were exhausted. Lup flopped on the couch, attempting to kick her shoes off her feet because she was too tired to physically remove them. It was all in vain. “Taako, help.”

            “I’m not touching your stinky ass feet.” He refused.

            Lup propped herself up. “Rude! Barry rubs my feet all the time.”

            “Yeah but you’re sleeping with him and it would be a little weird if you paid me in kind bubbeleh.” He stood in the doorway and removed his own shoes instead.

            “Fair enough.” It was hard to argue with that. “Can you at least make dinner tonight. I’m so tired.”

            Taako froze. “Can’t we just do takeout?”

            “We had takeout last night. Can you please just try?” While Taako and Lup were both great cooks, it really took off for Taako. He had gone on the program Teen Master Chef when he was still in middle school and was a fan favorite. By the time he was in high school, he was offered his own TV show. It was difficult to balance school and television, especially when he had to travel, but he loved it and Lup was really proud of him.

            That was until one of his trips. Lup sometimes accompanied him, but wasn’t able to for this particular one. It was a live show in the town of Glamour Springs, where he would go and cook for a live studio audience. Despite the name, it was an economically depressed area with high unemployment. This gave Taako a large studio audience despite the midday time slot. He made his famous garlic clove chicken. Unfortunately, something went wrong and the entire audience got food poisoning. The studio’s PR department was able to prevent it from becoming a large scandal, but on top of the damage from the lawsuits, the show could no longer continue. Taako hadn’t cooked since.

            He hadn’t talked to anyone except Lup about it, and even then, he had barely said anything. He didn’t have to say much for her to know he was afraid. Taako rarely openly expressed any emotion besides frustration, but Lup knew how to read him. He still wasn’t ready.

            “Didn’t Merle make a big batch of granola the other day? Maybe we can call him and see if we can just eat some of that.” Lup suggested.

            “Yeah, I’ll text him.” Neither of them were too jazzed about the idea of eating Merle’s weird granola, but he lived in the building and was usually willing to share.

            “Before you do that.” Lup stopped him. “I just wanted to let you know that I really like Kravitz.”

            “Barry will be very disappointed.” Taako said as he prepared to dodge whatever she through at him

            “Shut up” She threw her newly loosened shoe, which he dodged with master dexterity. “You know what I mean. He’s pretty cool guy and a total babe and if you could see the way that he looked at you, you would know that he’s being genuine.”

            Taako shifted uncomfortably. “Merle texted back. I’ll run up and grab the food.”

            “Would it kill you to have an actual conversation for once instead of just dodging every emotion that comes your way!” Lup’s frustration began to boil over.

            “I’m not having this conversation right now.” He slipped on some shoes and prepared to leave.

            “Taako wait!”

            But he was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the amazing response! There are a couple things I want to say about this chapter.
> 
> 1\. Take a look at Louis Vuitton's Spring 2018 ready-to-wear line and tell me that "gay pirate" is not the perfect description for at least some of the designs. The defense rests. 
> 
> 2\. In case you are wondering, Kravitz wears a 42L for jackets. Trust me, I'm a professional. I hope my description was enough to give you an accurate vision of what he is wearing. I can't draw for shit, so if anyone else wants to draw it, be my guest.
> 
> 3\. The next chapter will be at the party and while I have most of it planned, I still don't know what Taako is going to wear. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know in the comments below.


	4. The Third Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After much anticipation, the big party at Wonderland has finally arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is alcohol use in this chapter. It isn't talked about extensively, but just a heads up that it's there.

            “Pregame starts in 20 minutes, are you finished getting ready yet” Lup banged on the bathroom door. Both twins took quite a while to get ready before going out and it varied from day to day who took longer. This time it was Taako.

            “I can’t find my eyeliner anywhere!” Taako shouted through the door as he thoroughly searched the bathroom.

            “Oh my bad, I borrowed it.” Lup confessed.

            Taako poked his head out. “It’s not borrowing if you don’t ask permission. That’s just called stealing.”

            “Don’t get me started, you take my stuff all the time without my permission!”

            “Yeah but I fully admit that I’m stealing it.”

            “Whatever, I’ll be right back.” Lup ran off to grab the eyeliner.

            Taako checked himself out in the mirror. He decided to go with long sleeve black turtleneck crop top with a pair of silver pants tucked into a pair of Doc Martin heeled boots. He tied a thin black cardigan around his waist, giving himself almost a kpop aesthetic. It was still missing something.

            “Hurry up!” Lup threw the eyeliner directly at Taako’s ear.

            “That’s expensive” He picked up the liner. Luckily eyeliner was one of the sturdier makeup items. It would have been a very different story if Lup had used his highlighter.

            “Everyone is already at Magnus and Julia’s.” Lup paused. “Wait, are those my shoes?”

            “Yeah, I stole them.”

* * *

            Normally the gang could count on Lucretia to be the designated driver as she wasn’t the biggest drinker, but even tonight she was down to party. Merle, who despite having more party points than anyone in their immediate friend group, recognized he was a little past the age range for this particular soirée and instead opted to drive them to the event, provided they found a safe ride home. None of them felt weird about hanging out with Merle who was significantly older than the rest of them, but a middle-aged man at a college club was a little too out of the ordinary.

            He could only fit 4 people into is 1958 Lincoln Continental Mk. III in the seats, but Barry and Lup had volunteered to ride in the car’s spacious trunk. They stopped about a block and a half away from the club, so not to be seen pulling two people out of the trunk in a somewhat alarming and fairly illegal fashion.

            “Remember everyone,” Merle rolled down his window once the gang was all out. It almost sounded like he was about to give some fatherly advice. “There is no quick cure for a hangover. Trust me, I’m a doctor. It’s best just to cancel all your plans for tomorrow.”

            So much for fatherly advice. He wasn’t wrong though. They had all gone a little bit harder than they had planned while pregaming and had landed in a solidly tipsy state. It was advantageous in masking the sting of the brisk air.

            “Don’t text while walking you’re walking, babe.” Barry reminded his girlfriend. She was a force to be reckoned with sober, but it was even harder to control her when drunk. At the very least, he was able to grab onto her arm and make sure she didn’t accidentally stumble into traffic.

            “Come on Barold, she can’t leave her social media following hanging.” Magnus teased.

            “It would be a downright shame if she went anywhere without posting a selfie” Julia chimed in.

            “When you look this good, it’s a public service.” Lup didn’t even look up from her phone.

            “You’ve got me there.” Julia laughed. She genuinely liked Magnus’s friends and was always happy to be included in the crew.

            As they approached the line, the group saw a familiar face. “Oh my goodness is that Kravitz?”

            Taako glared at his sister, seeing right through her phony surprise. He then looked back at the nervous man waiting for them at the entrance of the club. He did look really good. So good, in fact, that for a moment Taako forgot to breath. “Why I do believe it is.”

            “Hey man, how’s it going.” Magnus immediately ran up to him, ignoring the fact that the two of them has never really had a full conversation. Magnus was just friendly like that.

            “Oh, what a coincidence arriving here at the same time as the rest of you.” Kravitz replied in a manner that sounded rehearsed but not very well.

            “Save it lover boy, I know you and Lup are in cahoots.” Taako playfully raised an eyebrow.

            Kravitz looked to Lup for an indication of what to do. She shrugged. He cleared his throat. “Well I did not really have any other friends who wanted to go, so Lup graciously extended an invitation to join you.”

            “Aw, you don’t have any other friends.” Magnus replied with thinly masked pity.

            “What? No-no I have friends. Just not really the type to go out to the club.” Kravitz panicked.

            “It’s okay buddy.” Magnus wrapped his arm around Kravitz’s shoulders. “You’re not alone anymore.”

            “I. . . wasn’t alone before but I- I don’t.” He really wasn’t sure how to respond.

            Taako was cracking up. “Don’t worry about it big guy, you can chill with us. If you think you can keep up.”

            “That’s rather ominous sounding Taako.” Lucretia commented. “Please don’t make us out to be a gang of wild party animals.”

            “You were throwing back shots like it was the end of the world Lucy, I don’t think you’re really in a position to talk.” Lup pointed out.

            Lucretia’s face turned bright red. She struggled to find words for a response.

            The conversation died down into some light small talk as they waited in line. The cold set in and those who were not as fully dressed in the group felt it all too clearly.

            “Barry” Lup whined. “I’m cold, give me your jacket.”

            “But then I’ll be cold.” Barry frowned. But one look at her pouting face and his jacket was coming off. “Fine but this is the last time.”

            “Wow Lup, how midcentury.” Taako chuckled, attempting to hide his chattering teeth. Suddenly he felt a weight on his shoulders.

            “Take mine, I don’t need it.” Kravitz wrapped his jacket around Taako’s shivering body. It was a couple sizes too large for him and just a touch too long.

            Taako felt his face heating up. He turned away from the crowd. “Wow, that’s lame. Won’t you be, um, cold too?”

            “I’m not really bothered by the cold.” Kravitz replied.

            “Okay Elsa, I get it.” Taako heard the whispers of his friends behind him. He had a feeling he knew what they were saying and hated it. He hated feeling vulnerable and emotional. But at the same time, standing there next to Kravitz with his jacket wrapped around him, he felt immensely happy.

* * *

            It felt like it took forever to get through the door, but when they made it into the club everything seemed well worth it. The lights were dazzling. The ceiling, walls, and floor were covered in thousands of these multicolored panels, flashing on and off in different, enchanting patterns. Past the coat check and bar, there was a stage with two runways on either side encompassing the dance floor. It was completely over the top and Kravitz didn’t know what to think.

            It goes without saying, but Taako was delighted. “Finally, we go someplace cool!”

            “It’s changed since last time we were here.” Lucretia frowned, recalling a completely different aesthetic. “How do they have the money to keep changing things?”

            “Because they overcharge for drinks.” Barry sighed as he pulled out his wallet. “Vodka cranberry?”

            “You know me so well.” Lup gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

            “I’ll take a beer.” Magnus added.

            “Wait a second.”

            “Make that two!” Julia chimed in.

            “Gin and tonic please.”

            “Not you too Lucretia!”

            “Get me a bourbon, neat.” Taako gave the last order. “And not the cheap stuff this time,”

            “How much money do you think I have!” Barry cried.

            Kravitz put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I’ll help you out.”

            It seemed like everyone was at the club. Carrie, Killian, Johann, Avi, Ren, Sloane, Hurley- even Lucas came. And that was just the beginning. Barry and Kravitz had barely gotten back by the time the clock struck midnight. Immediately, all the lights in the club went out and two spotlights shone on the stage. A pair of tall, beautiful twins, male and female, stood at the center. The woman lifted a single gloved hand into the air and snapped.

            Immediately the music began playing again and on each beat the lights flashed and the pair struck a pose as they vogued down the leftmost runway at the side of the club. The crowd of drunk college students went wild at the display. Kravitz looked over to see Taako’s reaction, but he was gone.

            “Not again!” Barry noticed that Lup was gone as well.

            The twins had climbed up onto the other runway. They began shouting, but their voices were lost to the music. The other twins looked at each other. “Get them a mic, I want to hear what they have to say.”

            “Should someone stop them?” Kravitz became increasingly worried.

            “No, this is what we’ve all been waiting for.” Magnus shook his head.

            “I love what you’ve done with the place.” Taako started. “Too bad your dance moves are sloppy and last season. Honestly, I’m embarrassed for you.”

            “Embarrassed for us?” The male twin scoffed. “You should be embarrassed for yourself, showing up in those rags.”

            Taako wasn’t even phased. “Says the guy in the tacky metallic jumpsuit. It’s hard to believe someone actually paid money for that.”

            Before the man had a chance to retaliate, his sister stuck her hand out. “Are you sure you really want to go up against us?”

            “Let’s see what the crowd thinks.” Lup smiled. The crowd roared. Most of them didn’t exactly know what was going on, but whatever it was, it thrilled them to no end.

            “Very well. Edward, are you ready to kick some ass?” The woman started walking to the beginning of the runway.

            “Let’s show them how it’s done Lydia.” Edward followed suit.

            The music started up again. Edward and Lydia made their way back down the runway with increasing fervor. They were good, no one was able to deny that, but Taako and Lup knew they were better.

            The lights cut out when they reached the end and it was Taako and Lup’s turn. As the lights turned on, they looked at each other and smiled. Their movements were crisp and clean and completely synchronized. They could hear neither the music or the sound of the cheering masses, they focused only on each other. By the time they reached the end of the runway, they were positively glowing.

            Edward and Lydia took their turn again. The music changed and the genre of dance took on a broader hip hop feel. The jumpsuits seemed to have some level of stretch to them, because this time around the two put on grand shows of flexibility and musicality. Lydia slid down into a center split and flexed her feet to the beat of the music. Edward stood above her as if to be a puppet master, arms and legs moving in complete synchronicity.

            “Boring” Lup commented to Taako. “I’m hoping those pants are stretch.”

            “Would I ever go dancing in anything else?”

            They jumped right in, matching the moves from their opponents but adding their own little twist. The pain they would feel the next morning from being understretched was worth it. They both walked to the center of the catwalk, a jaunty hop in their steps keeping time with the music. While they didn’t move much along the catwalk in this set, they made great use of the different levels. Taako would go low and Lup would stay high, and then they would switch. To end, they both slid down into a slow center split, eyes locked on Edward and Lydia. They acted as mirror images of each other.

            Edward and Lydia went again, ending their round with a synchronized roundoff back handspring. The crowd went crazy. Kravitz looked at the others in his group, expecting to see concern on their faces, but instead was met with sheer unadulterated excitement. “This is it”

            “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Lup asked her brother.

            “Roundoff whip double back handspring back tuck?” He responded.

            “Turn the tuck into a full and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

            They danced to opposite sides of the runway and took of their shoes with as much haste as they could muster. Then with a running start, the threw the most amazing tumbling pass they could possibly throw given the environment there were in.

            The crowd went wild and the two knew they had won. Kravitz could hardly believe his eyes. That was a stupidly dangerous thing to attempt, but it was also incredibly cool. He was both frightened and aroused, which seemed to be a pattern with Taako. It was more intoxicating than anything else in the bar and he had to get more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that. A couple of things.
> 
> 1\. This is a work of fiction and the characters did not always act in a safe manner. Don't ride in the trunks of cars, even if they are large trunks, don't binge drink, and especially don't try to throw tumbling passes while drunk without being properly stretched or on a floor meant for tumbling. Believe me this all comes from experience. The last thing you want is to end up with a concussion on a rooftop in Korea and no way of knowing what is a hangover and what is the concussion. 
> 
> 2\. Taako uses Stila eyeliner.
> 
> 3\. I nearly posted my entire 25 page senior thesis instead of the fanfiction and all I have to say is that it's better it happened that way instead of me sending in my fanfiction to the conference I'm presenting at. Always label your word documents!


	5. The Fourth Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parties are fun. Hangovers are not. The morning after the big party at Wonderland, Taako finds himself with a mystery to solve: what exactly happened last night.

Pain. That was all Taako felt the morning after the Wonderland party. Before he even opened his eyes, he was hit with a wave of intense pain. He tried to remember the events of the night before as to understand the exact cause. The headache was definitely caused by drinking, the lack of full memories attested to that. He remembered a dance battle, visions of slamming into the floor with full force and hyper extended limbs answered that question. Frankly that could account for most of his pain. He tried to open his eyes. It took him a while to adjust to the brightness. He was in his apartment, and had even made it to his own bed, always a good sign. The sun was bright in the sky, indicating that it may have been later in the day than he intended. He looked down to find his body peppered with bruises. It took him a moment to realize something very important was missing: his clothes.

            He stood up in a panic, wincing as the pain came upon him. Next time he’ll definitely stretch before going to the club. He was still wearing his underwear, which was good. He was also still wearing his makeup, which was not. It had been a very long time since he had missed a night of skin care. He noticed an unfamiliar piece of fabric next to his pillow. He picked it up.

            It was Kravitz’s jacket.

            He tried to remember what happened the night before. He remembered getting off the stage after the dance battle. He remembered dancing. He remembered dancing with Kravitz. Against Kravitz. He started to feel sick.

            He ran to the bathroom as quickly as he could. When he came out, he noticed that the apartment was completely empty. Lup usually went back with Barry on nights like these. On the counter he saw a couple bottles of Gatorade and a note.

            _Good morning Taako,  
            Sorry I had to duck out so early this morning, I had a prior engagement. I hope you are doing well. I had a great time last night, you were truly amazing. I had no idea it was even possible to move like that. I bought some Gatorade for you for your hangover. I didn’t know what flavor you liked, so I bought you a couple._

_Thank you again,_

_Kravitz_

            Fuck. What had happened last night. He wracked his brain, trying to remember. He remembered doing shots at the bar. A lot of people bought him and Lup shots after their victory. He remembered Magnus doing the funky chicken on the dance floor. He wished he could forget that one. He remembered Kravitz looking really good. And his lips looking really good. And soft.

            And that was it. That was all he could remember.

            He grabbed his phone and checked the time. It was 11:45. He decided to take a shower before doing anything else. He really needed it.

* * *

            Lup didn’t pick up her phone when he called. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was still asleep. She probably wouldn’t be much help anyway, she drank as much as he did. He decided to give Magnus a ring. “Hello?”

            “Magnus, how much do you remember from last night?” Taako skipped the formalities and went straight into the meat of the conversation.

            “I remember pretty much everything. You and Lup were insane.” He had to turn the volume down. Magnus had way too much energy.

            “This is going to sound weird but did Kravitz and I do anything?” Truthfully, Taako didn’t know if he wanted to hear the answer.

            “You are all over him man.” Shame washed over Taako. “Don’t worry about it though, he’s clearly really into you. I think he’s pretty cool, I’m glad you found a nice guy.”

            “Focus up bubbeleh.” Taako cut him off. “I need to know exactly what happened.”

            “I don’t know, I was kind of doing my own thing. I don’t know if you remember, but I was tearing up the dancefloor.”

            “I wish I didn’t remember,” Taako commented. “Did I or did I not go home with him?”

            “I couldn’t say, Julia, Lucretia and I left before you did. Avi and Johann were still there, you should try calling them.”

            Taako hung up the phone. He did not want to bring anyone else into it, but the curiosity was too much for him. He decided to try Avi first.

            “Taako, is that you?” Avi was a friend he had met at university. He was an aeronautical engineering major and pretty much the quintessential frat boy. He certainly knew how to party. “Yo, you and Lup were sick last night. I didn’t even know you could do that!”

            “So, I’ve heard.” Taako massaged his temple. “Hey, weird question. Do you remember anything from the end of the night yesterday?”

            “I remember that you stole my flask.”

            “I’ll buy you a new one, do you remember anything else?”

            “It’s cool bro, I have a spare.”

            “Do you remember who I left with?”

            “Ooh, did you hook up with someone last night?”

            “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Taako felt like banging his head against the wall, but the pounding in his brain from the hangover was doing a sufficient job. “So you don’t know anything.”

            “All I know is that you were trashed and Barry and that one public safety guy escorted you guys to your uber.” Excitement picked up in Avi’s voice. “Did you hook up with your uber driver?”

            “Goodbye Avi.”

            He could only think of one other person to call. “Hey Barry.”

Barry filled him in a bit. The four of them had taken an uber back to the apartment complex. The twins had gotten very drunk. Lup tended to get really cuddly when she was drunk and insisted on going home with Barry, which was not surprising and frankly had been the plan all along. He had offered to let Taako stay on his couch so he could watch over both of them and make sure no one choked, but Taako had said, and I quote, “I don’t want to sleep on your nasty ass couch, I don’t know what you’ve done on that.” This hurt Barry a bit because it was actually a pretty nice couch and he spent good money one it. Kravitz had offered to take Taako back to his apartment and make sure he got situated.

            It appeared the only person who truly knew what had happened the night before was Kravitz. He decided to text him and asked if he had time to talk.

            Agonizing minutes went by before his phone buzzed. “Sorry, I can’t right now. I’ll call you later, okay?”

            Taako texted him back. “Are you on campus?”

            It was a silly question considering it was a Saturday, but he was dying to get some answers. He had to know what he had done. He had so many emotions screaming in his head at the moment, he had to find a way to quiet them down.

            “Are you okay?” Kravitz texted back quickly. “I’m in the conservatory building. If you need something, I can get a buddy of mine to bring it to you.”

            Taako didn’t reply. He threw on some clothing, fixed his hair, and decided to solve this once and for all. Just as soon as he took some Advil.

* * *

            The Legato Conservatory was a separate school housed on the University of Neverwinter campus. UN students were able to take music classes there but it required special admission to be an official student of the school. Barry and Lup had taken a music class there together once, but Taako had never been in the building.

            It was a large, spacious hall. It was usually empty during the weekends, save for the practice rooms in the basement. As Taako walked into the main entrance, he heard a melodic tune coming from the auditorium. It sounded familiar. But not too familiar.

            He decided to follow the tune down the hall and into the theater. There Kravitz was, sitting on the stage with a cello between his legs. Next to him sat a little boy with a much smaller cello, echoing the notes that Kravitz played.

            Taako stood there enchanted. His hair was tucked behind his ear as to not obstruct his vision. His long fingers gracefully played each note with a rich vibrato. His music sat on a stand in front of him, but he didn’t seem to need it at all. Suddenly he stopped. “Taako?”

            It was at that moment that Taako finally realized that he had followed some guy all the way out to a part of campus he had never been to without a reasonable explanation. “Oh, um I was just walking around campus and thought I would stop by.”

            “Would you give me a moment.” He turned to the little boy on the stage and set down his bow and cello. He rushed to the back of the theater. “Are you feeling okay, you were looking really rough.”

            Taako felt the boy staring at him. “Could we maybe talk about this outside, I don’t think that this would be appropriate for your. . . son to hear.”

            Kravitz stopped. “How old do you think I am?”

            “I just took a wild guess okay?” This was not going well. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long morning”

            “It’s okay.” Kravitz chuckled. He gestured for the little boy to come join them.

            “Hello sir!” The little boy greeted. He stuck his hand out. “My name is Angus McDonald and you must be Taako.”

            “I see my reputation precedes me.” Taako shook the child’s hand with as much charm as he could muster. “So, are you here to take away my man?”

            Kravitz choked. Taako definitely did not mean to say it like that. Like they were actually dating. Luckily Angus seemed unphased. “Heck no sir, he’s just here to teach me how to play the cello. That’s how the program works.”

            “What program?” Taako pressed.

            “Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Neverwinter.” Angus replied proudly.

            Taako looked over at a mortified Kravitz and grinned. “Well listen hear Ango. I need to borrow your big brother for a second and then I’ll send him right back to ya.”

            The two of them stepped out of the theater. “I didn’t know you played the cello.”

            “I guess you never asked.” Kravitz replied more coolly than he expected to. He quickly decided to turn the focus back on Taako. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you here.”

            Suddenly Taako remembered the reason for his quest. In his entire walk over, he did not bother to think of an eloquent way to ask if the two of them had boned down the previous evening. “Oh, um, this is going to sound kind of weird but I got really drunk last night and just wanted to know. . . what happened.”

            “Yeah of course,” Kravitz had completely forgotten about the possibility of memory loss. “How much do you remember?”

            “Pretty much until we got out of the uber.” Taako lied. He had already heard that side of the story from other sources and didn’t want to relive his embarrassment.

            “Right. So Barry was taking Lup back to his place and we agreed it would be best if someone made sure you got to bed safely. And then you, um. . .” Kravitz tried to find the words for the next part. Taako held his breath. “Then you threw up all over your clothing.”

            “Wait, I what?” That was not what he had been expecting.

            “You were having a really hard time getting it off and so I helped you but I swear I didn’t look anywhere I wasn’t supposed to.” Kravitz reassured.

            This was going on forever. “Just tell me, did we have sex last night?”

            “Wait, what?” Kravitz sputtered. “Oh dear, of course not! You were far too- and I didn’t have a- and that would be so- I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

            “Thank God.” Taako sighed in relief. Realizing how that may sound, he decided to backtrack a bit. “Not that you aren’t a lovely man it’s just, I don’t know, it’s like. . .”

            “You don’t have to explain anything Taako.” Kravitz shook his head. “I’m not going to take it personally. Honestly, I enjoy every moment I spend with you and want you to feel safe around me. If you don’t want to do something, that’s fine. I’ll be there to help whenever you need it.”

            Taako blushed. “Wow, desperate much?”

            Kravitz laughed. “Perhaps I am.”

            “So wait, if we didn’t bone down, why was your blazer in my bed.” Taako asked.

            “I’m not sure if you are really going to want to hear this part of the story.” Kravitz shifted his gaze to the side, not wanting to make eye contact with Taako.

            “Oh my god, what did I do?” All the relief Taako had been feeling seemed for vanish.

            “Well, I went to throw your dirty clothing in the bathroom, I didn’t know what you wanted to do with it, but I heard this crash from your bedroom and I guess you had tripped over your shoes or something because you were just sprawled out on the floor.”

            “Jesus”

            “So I tried to help you up but you weren’t really cooperating so I picked you up and put you on your bed. But you wouldn’t let go so I kind of. . . fell on top of you.”

            “Okay but that still doesn’t explain why I had your jacket.”

            “Are you sure you want to hear the rest?”

            “I’m a big boy Krav, I can take it. What did I do? Throw up on you? Try to fight you? Try to fuck you? Just tell me.”

            “Well you were just sort of. . . crying.” Fuck. It was worse than Taako had imagined. “You were asking me not to leave and saying how everyone always leaves and you wouldn’t let go of my jacket.”

            “Um, it was clearly a joke.” Taako was doing his best to be convincing. “You don’t go to parties a lot so you probably don’t know the protocol but it’s this new thing the kids are doing where they. . . start crying, but like not in a real way. It’s like a prank.”

            “Regardless,” Kravitz didn’t seem to believe him. “Eventually you passed out and I was able to remove myself from my jacket. I made sure you were positioned properly on your side near a waste bin and spent the night on the couch.”

            “And that’s the whole story?” Taako asked, trying to process everything. He was never drinking that much again. At least not until the next big party.

            “I mean the only other thing I can think of is the sleepwalking but I texted Lup and she said you do that all the time.”

            “THE WHAT?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the notes:
> 
> 1\. Drink responsibly. Your actions have consequences.
> 
> 2\. The song they are playing is the prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major. It may be basic, but I love it.


	6. The Fifth Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz has a bar trivia emergency. Taako comes in clutch.

After the incident the weekend before, things pretty much went back to normal between Taako and Kravitz. They went back to their standard agreement of texting each other questions the other had to answer, only this time with more depth. Sometimes they skipped the question asking entirely and just talked about their days. O-chem was kicking Taako’s ass already and he was beginning on regretting the chemistry minor Lup convinced him to pursue. Being a graduating senior, Kravitz had an easier semester in terms of coursework as he only had to take 3 more classes to graduate, but with his public safety job and the physical training it took to prepare for the police academy, he had plenty to complain about.

            Taako had just gotten home from class when he received a text from Kravitz. As to not seem too eager or desperate, he usually let the texts simmer for a while. That didn’t change the fact that he was eager to read what Kravitz had texted him and increasingly desperate for the other’s affection.

            “SOS. Call me.” That was all the text read. It was a bit concerning, although Taako had found out that Kravitz had a surprising flair for the dramatic. Not nearly to his level, but certainly more than the average person.

            “Hey Krav, what’s up.” He pressed the phone between his cheek as he removed his boots.

            “Oh Taako, it’s dreadful.” Kravitz started. “Absolutely dreadful.”

            “Are you talking about Selena Gomez’s horrible life decision because I 100% agree. She’s too good for him. I was rooting for her.” Taako heard a chuckle over the phone.

            “Not quite. I’ve been betrayed.” Taako’s ears picked up.

            “Listen, I know you like to do things above the books but tell me who, what, and where and I can make sure something very bad happens to whoever betrayed you.” Lup was the queen of revenge, but Taako felt that with the right situation he could take the title from her.

            “My bar trivia team.” Kravitz ignored Taako’s offer. “They got upset with me bailing on them last week and are replacing me with Tanzer Silverview.”

            “Fucking Tanzer Silverview? Are you for real.”

            “Apparently he knows more about popular culture than I do. They say it balances out the team more.”

            Taako felt genuinely angry. “You know tons of crap, that’s ridiculous.”

            “Quite.” Kravitz replied. “Anyway, I’m trying to pull together a team for the competition tonight, do you know anyone who would be interested in playing last minute?”

            “How many people do you need?”

            “Three.”

            “Consider it done.”

* * *

            By the time Taako arrived at the entrance of the Davey Lamp, Kravitz had already been waiting there 15 minutes. He was accompanied by his sister Lup and her boyfriend Barry. He had debated bringing Magnus and Merle, but then remembered the time Lucas had tested his new learning robot on the trio and how poorly that had gone. Barry knew lots of weird, useless shit and Lup was intimidating. Add his devilish charm and you have the perfect team. As far as Kravitz could tell, time had all but stopped when they arrived. Taako never ceased to take his breath away.

            “Alright handsome, explain to me the rules of the game.” Taako nonchalantly announced as if he hadn’t thought long and hard about what to say.

            “Game? Well it’s bar trivia.” Kravitz started.

            “They ask you questions and you have to be the first one to answer.” Barry explained. “Like quiz bowl.”

            “You did Quiz Bowl?” Taako shouldn’t have been surprised. “I thought you were a mathlete.”

            “You can do two things Taako.” Barry frowned. “Didn’t you do any extracurriculars in high school?”

            “No, I was too busy having sex.” Taako responded without thinking. Fuck, he forgot Kravitz was there. “I was also a teen heartthrob with my own daytime cooking show so excuse me if I didn’t have time to join your little math party.”

            “You were on TV?” Kravitz asked.

            This surprised Taako. He had assumed everyone knew about his television show. He frequently introduced himself to people as Taako from TV. “Obviously. How did you not know that?”

            “It never came up.” He shrugged.

            “Let’s save the chit chat for after we win boys, come on.” Lup interrupted their conversation to usher them into the bar.

            Apparently, they were not the only ones who decided to come out and compete that night. There were at least half a dozen teams in the bar already. A short middle-aged lady with long red hair and round glasses sat at a table near the entrance. She had a spreadsheet open up on her laptop with the names of the competitors and a stack of paper nametags on her left.

            “Names?” She asked, barely looking up from her laptop.

            “I’m Kravitz.” Kravitz started, already filling out his nametag with incredible penmanship.

            Taako followed close behind “The name’s Justin Kessler.”

            Kravitz frowned. That wasn’t Taako’s name, he knew that for certain.

            Barry went up next. “Sildar Hallwinter.”

            Kravitz looked at him quizzically, but Taako and Lup stayed poker faced. The woman looked up. “Can you spell that for me please?”

            “I guess.” Barry feigned exasperation. “S-I-L-D-A-R H-A-L-L-W-I-N-T-E-R.”

            It was becoming increasingly difficult for Taako to keep a straight face. He bit the inside of his lip to keep himself grounded as Lup went up. “I’m Taako. T double A K O.”

            Taako nearly broke, having to mask a loose chuckle with a cough. “Sorry, cold and flu season.”

            “Right.” That woman replied out of politeness and not care. “You guys are team 7, please take your seats at the table labeled ‘7’”

            “Which one is that?” Taako asked, playing stupid.

            “The one with a big 7 on it.” She responded flatly.

            “I’m not familiar with the Arabic numbering system, I prefer to use Roman. Can you draw one on a piece of paper for me to compare?”

            “Come on Taako, let’s try not to bother the poor lady.” Kravitz tugged on his companion’s arm.

            “I’m Taako, that’s Justin.” Lup interjected. “I know we look a bit similar but please recognize our separate identities.

            Kravitz let out an exasperated sigh and pulled the real Taako to the table. Barry and Lup followed closely. As they sat down, Kravitz leaned in close and in a hushed tone asked, “What the hell is going on here?”

            “Calm down Kemosabe, we have our reasons.” Taako assured.

            “What, pray tell, are those.” Kravitz voice was cold. He resisted the urge to rub his temples.

            “Barry and I are banned from this particular establishment so we had to use fake names.”

            “If you guys are banned, why did you use Taako’s name?”

            “Well he’s not banned yet.”  

            “Then why is he using a fake name?”

            “Why should they get all the fun.”

            Taako noticed the exasperated look on Kravitz’s face and pulled him aside to offer an explanation. “The only way I could get them to come was if we let them mess around a bit. I swear, they will come through when the competition actually starts.”

            “I hope you’re right.” Kravitz found it hard to remain annoyed at Taako when he looked at him so earnestly. He was just trying to help and lord knows Kravitz needed it.

            “You’re about to find out that I’m always right.” Taako smiled and nothing else seemed to matter.

            “So where are the assholes we’re going to crush tonight.” Lup cleared her throat before joining the conversation.

            Kravitz scanned the room. “Of course, they are at table 1. Hudson is always so punctual.”

            “Quick question.” The group attempted to casually scope out the team on the opposite side of the room. “Why do they all look like Tom Bodett?”

            “They’re from Rockport.” Kravitz answered and everyone made a mutual noise of understanding.

* * *

“Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?” The announcer read the question to the crowd.

Kravitz had amazing reflexes and was often able to hit the buzzer the moment the announcer finished reading. “What is Geoffrey Chaucer?”

            “Point to team 7 and for the last time, this isn’t jeopardy. You don’t need to answer in the form of a question.” After a round of tequila shots, Kravitz had become more willing to play along with the others. It was actually kind of fun messing with people. “Alright everyone, tally up your point and the top 3 teams will move to our final match.”

            Taako had been right, the four of them made a great team. The Tom Bodetts with the addition of Tanzer Silverview were a force to be reckoned with, also making it to the final match. The third team was an unexpected group of people that looked like they had stepped straight out of Grease. There was a 15 minute break in between the end of the semifinals and the finals to allow for drinks to be refilled and losers to leave if they so choose.

            “What are you doing here? I thought you were too good for bar trivia.” One of the Tom Bodetts came over to their table and addressed Kravitz.

            “When did I ever say that I’m too good for bar trivia?” Kravitz looked confused.

            “When you didn’t show up last week. We were counting on you.”

            Taako laughed, drawing the attention from both men. “I’m sorry, but you’re acting like this is some sort of Shakespearian blood feud. Tell me Mr. Montague, what is the big deal about having to miss one night?”

            “I see how it is.” Bodett narrowed his eyes at Taako. “First you bail so you could hang out with your little boyfriend and now you’re bringing him here to fight your battles.”

            “Why don’t you step off.” Lup backed him up.

            “The real battle is fought on the trivia floor.” Barry joined in. “Or we can take this to the parking lot of you would rather.”

            Despite being a huge nerd, Barry was rather large and could be a bit intimidating. Tom Bodett retreated, shooting daggers at Kravitz as he walked away.

            “Is everyone ready to begin?” Taako had wanted to ask Kravitz what the Tom Bodett had meant, but he had run out of time. “The Cassegranian, Schmidt and Gregorian are all types of what scientific instrument?”

            Taako, Lup, and Barry all leaped to the button. Lup reached it first. “Telescopes.”

            “Correct. What is the capital of Paraguay?”

            “Asunción.” Team Bodett reached the buzzer first. The Bodett known as Hudson was apparently quite good at geography.

            “Correct. Name three components of a country’s Gross National Product?”

            “Consumption, government expenditures, exports.” Barry answered. He had been running late to class one day and accidentally went to the wrong lecture hall. By the time he had realized, class had already started and he had too much anxiety to just walk out so he just sat there with the business students and listened.

            “Correct. Name two of Hofstede’s six cultural dimension.”

            “Individualism versus collectivism and, um, power distance.” Silverview swooped in before Taako’s team.

            “Correct. What year was chocolate first solidified?”

            “1847.” Taako remembered a Valentine’s Day episode back that had discussed the history of chocolate. The script was so cheesy that it had been burned into his memory ever since.

            The competition went on like that for a while. Time was almost up and while the other team, who called themselves The Hammerheads, had lost all hope of winning, Kravitz’s team and Team Bodett were tied.

            “Now for the final question. What is the largest city in the world?”

            Barry smashed the buzzer. “Guangzhou, China.”

            “Incorrect.”

            One of the Bodetts hit the buzzer. “Tokyo, Japan.”

            “Correct.”

            “Hang on a second.” Barry protested. “This is not a fair question. What metric are you using to measure population? Tokyo may be the top in terms of urban area, but Guangzhou is larger both in terms of the city proper and the greater metropolitan area.”

            “I don’t write the questions, I just read what the card says.” The announcer was not prepared for a debate. “Team 1 gave the answer that I have so they get the points. As we are out of time, that makes them the winners.”

            “This is bullshit.” Lup yelled, joining her boyfriend in his anger.

            “Wait a second.” It was at that moment that the announcer recognized Lup and Barry. “Aren’t you guys-“

            In a moment of panic, Barry took a pitcher of beer from the table and smashed it on the ground, yelling “SCATTER!”

            The four of them quickly got up and ran out the door, knocking chairs over as they departed to block their path. As a distraction, Lup used her close up magic skills to produce a fireball from her sleeves. At least she attempted to, but she was low on flint and ended up squirting lighter fluid all over the floor. They ran for a couple blocks before finally stopping, sure no one was chasing them.

            “That was wild!” Lup cheered. “Babe it was so hot when you got all angry at the end.”

            Barry pulled her in close, ready to kiss her. “Well you’re always hot. I love it when you talk science.”

            “Well get ready to fluorine uranium carbon potassium me tonight.” She giggled before closing the distance.

            “Gross.” Taako leaned against Kravitz. “Oh man, I’m sorry for ruining bar trivia night.”

            “It’s alright, the place was getting a bit too stuffy for me anyway.” Kravitz was unsure of what to do with his hands, but tentatively wrapped them around Taako’s shoulders. “It will be awkward when I go to get my car tomorrow, but I’m in no position to drive.”

            “It’s chill, I’m friends with the owner and I’ve already venmoed her $20 for the pitcher.” Taako leaned his head against the taller man’s shoulders. It was a good thing Lup and Barry were preoccupied, because she would mock him for that. “So, what did that guy mean when he said you bailed last week for me.”

            “Oh.” Kravitz replied sheepishly. “Well in order to take the time off to go to the club I had to take an extra shift on bar trivia night and I guess I forgot to tell them.”

            Taako couldn’t believe how unbelievably sweet Kravitz was. The month wasn’t even up yet, but he felt as if his feelings had grown more than anything. Despite the cool weather, Taako felt warm and safe in his arms. It was intoxicating. “Walk me home?”

            “It would be my pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Don't break things at bars or cause scenes. It's rude and they make you pay.
> 
> 2\. The woman is Brogden, who is a character in the 11th Hour arc. I put her in because I wanted the staff of the Davey Lamp to all be from Refuge.
> 
> 3\. Sorry for being a bit late with the update. The new semester has started and it's already kicking my ass. I haven't had any time to write until today. I am still going to try to get this done ASAP but chances are it won't be done by Valentines Day.


	7. The Sixth Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summaries are dumb and take away the element of surprise. Just read it.

It was very rare that Taako would have the evening off and Lup didn’t. They usually coordinated their class schedules to at least somewhat match. While straying away from codependency was a good personal step, Taako was bored. Kravitz had also come into a bit a free time since being banned from bar trivia and shunned by some of his “friends.” Luckily he wasn’t too torn up about it, as he had ended up joining an even better friend group with Taako. Everyone loved him. He and Magnus would go to the gym together, he always accepted the weird gifts Merle made, he and Lucretia frequently discussed topics so boring Taako had no desire to listen. He even played scrabble with Professor Davenport. That was just the beginning.

             On the one hand, it was a little overwhelming having Kravitz so quickly become a part of his life. On the other hand, he was no longer just some random suitor. No person who just wanted to get in his pants and leave would spend three hours playing scrabble with his professor. While Kravitz’s romantic interest never truly left his mind, it was accompanied by feelings of friendship and admiration. Not to mention Kravitz was super hot.

             Taako was laying on the couch **,** bored out of his mind. So bored, he did something he almost never did. He texted first.

             As it turned out, Kravitz was also miraculously free. Or there was the more likely alternative that he canceled any plans as soon as he saw Taako’s text message. Regardless, the ball was in Taako’s court to decide where they would spend the evening, and he didn’t want to seem too eager. After a moment of pondering, he had just the place in mind.

* * *

             “I always imagined wine and pottery places to be, how you say, sophisticated.” Kravitz commented as the two walked through the door of the Chug-N-Squeeze. Wine and pottery classes has become very popular in the area, and this section of a larger franchise opened up just off campus.

             “It’s more of an ‘every man’s’ wine and pottery shop. They had to differentiate themselves. This one caters to a rowdier crowd. You know, chug some wine, squeeze some clay, see where the night takes you.” Taako replied, fidgeting with his keys nervously. He hadn’t realized it, but this was the first time that he and Kravitz went anywhere alone together.

             Kravitz chuckled. “Well I trust your judgement.”

             “That is simultaneously the best and worst decision you’ve ever made, my man.”

             As they walked in, it became clear that the entire place was filled with couples. Taako and Kravitz took a station near the back and began to prep it, enjoying some light finger food before the mess began. The station was rather small with very much a date night vibe. Kravitz looked both confused and visibly uncomfortable, and while Taako could share in those feelings a bit, there was also something about being by Kravitz side that felt very. . . comforting.

             “White or red?” He asked, going to grab a bottle of wine.

             “Red.” Kravitz answered. “Merlot if that’s okay with you.”

             “I’ll trust your judgement.” Taako mimicked Kravitz’s earlier statement as he went to make his selection.

             “I hope you don’t mind, the cabernet was buy one, get one and I can’t pass up an offer like that.” He scooted in next to Kravitz as they poured the first glass. Taako stared at his lump of clay, trying to decide what to make. He started shaping a bowl.

             “I don’t mind at all.” Kravitz frowned playfully. “As long as you don’t plan on drinking an entire bottle by yourself.”

             “Well then you better start helping me.” Taako teased. He didn’t actually plan to drink that much that night, he owed Magnus a bottle after an unfortunate incident a couple of months prior they no longer spoke of.

             “So why did you choose to come here?” Kravitz asked, smooth jazz softly playing in the background.

             “Well, I thought taking you fishing would be a bit too forward.” Taako smiled at Kravitz over his shoulder, trying not to be too flirty but failing on instinct.

             “I didn’t know you fish?” It almost seemed like Kravitz was flirting back.

             “I’m multidimensional.” Taako felt the urge to fix his hair, remembering just in time that his hands were covered in clay.

             Just then, a big burly instructor came by. He looked at Taako’s work with disgust. “Didn’t you read the sign. It’s cab and vase day. No bowls!”

             “Oh yes, I’ll get right on that.” Taako replied with feigned sincerity as he began to reshape his bowl into a vase. As soon as the instructor was satisfied and moved onto another couple, Taako went back to making his bowl. “Fuck that, I want to make a bowl. I don’t chain my fucking muse.”

              “I like your renegade spirit.” Kravitz laughed a little bit louder than he intended. Reshaping the bowl didn’t come with as much ease as it had initially. Perhaps he had upset his muse. Kravitz noticed Taako struggling and climbed behind him, hands on top of his hands. “You’re squeezing too hard on the clay. Try it a little softer.”

             Kravitz face was so close to Taako’s it was like they were sharing a single breath. As Taako often used humor as a defense mechanism, it wasn’t surprising when he cracked a joke without thinking. “Who are you, Patrick Swayze?”

             “Who?” Kravitz asked, pulling away from Taako’s wheel and wiping his hands off on a napkin, preparing to pour himself another glass.

             “You know, it’s like I’m Drew Barrymore and you’re my dead boyfriend who secretly helps me out in an erotic pottery scene.” Taako’s stomach sank a touch when Kravitz didn’t get the reference.

             “Dead boyfriend? Erotic pottery.”

             “Oh my god.” Taako put his face in his hands in embarrassment. It wasn’t enough that enough that Kravitz didn’t understand his reference to either the 1990 cinematic masterpiece or the 2012 Broadway remake Merle showed him, but now he had to deal with the awkward repercussions of implying Kravitz was his boyfriend without ever going on any official dates or having that conversation. To make matter’s worse he realized that he had a substantial amount of clay on his hands that had now transferred to his face.

             “Here, let me get that for you.” Kravitz grabbed a wet towel and began to wipe the clay off his partner’s face.

             “I did you for you, you know.” Taako started, pulling an excuse out of his ass. “You seemed a little nervous and I know it’s because I’m just way to gorgeous. It is a curse I am forced to bear. I figured I could make myself look a little more. . . down to earth.”

             “Well thank you for your consideration.” Kravitz finished wiping the clay off his face. He spent a moment just looking at Taako, with so much sincerity in his eyes. “I’m afraid your plan failed, nothing could make you look any less beautiful.”

             The words that came out of Kravitz’s mouth took both of them by surprise. It sounded so genuine and pure, Taako wasn’t sure how to handle it. He decided his best option would be to chug the rest of his glass of wine. “Can you pour me another?”

             “Yes, of course.” Kravitz acquiesced. After a couple moments of sculpting, they decided it was safe to restart the conversation. “I heard there was another fire in the IPRE lab.”

             “Yeah, that happens a lot.” Taako felt grateful Kravitz brought up a rather unromantic topic. “We’re working on finding an effective fuel that’s lighter weight than what we currently have and there have been a number of small explosions.”

             “Explosions? That sounds preposterously dangerous, especially for undergrads.” Kravitz responded.

             “Yeah, it’s a mystery why we still have funding.” Luckily the results they had had thus far in the research gave them some leeway with the powers that be. It did not stop the rumors from spreading around campus about the crazy science experiments they were working on.

             “Can I ask you a question?” Kravitz sounded a bit more serious.

             “Is that not the nature of our agreement?” Taako tried not to freak out.

             “I googled you like you suggested, I hope you don’t mind.” Kravitz felt nervous admitting to his light social media investigation, despite the fact he was explicitly instructed to do so by Taako himself. “You are an incredible cook. Not only that but I saw your show and you have amazing stage presence. I understand if being a tv star is not what you ultimately want to do, but you have so many options available to you. Why choose geology? Why the IPRE?”

             “Because I’m worried no one else would have me.” Taako answered before he could stop himself.

             “Wow, that was. . . a very honest answer. I’m a bit shocked.” Kravitz was taken off guard, but he appreciated seeing this new side of Taako.

             “Well, I mean, that's the truth. If I can't be honest at the Chug and Squeeze then I- frankly, my man, I don't know where I can.” Taako joked to mask his insecurity. “What else am I gonna do? As far as anybody else knows, my career as a chef is over. I don’t have any other marketable skills. I can’t really put ‘poisoned a crowd of people’ on my resume and expect a wide field of morally permissible job prospects. I didn’t have anywhere else to go so here I am.”               

             “I understand that.” Kravitz’s shoulders relaxed as Taako opened up. He didn’t even realize his shoulders were that tense. “I wasn’t always planning to be a detective, it was never really my goal. But after my dad died, it was like I didn’t have a choice.”

             Taako decided to save pressing on the dead father issue for another time. The Chug and Squeeze was not the venue for such discussions. “I get that.”

             “I wanted to be a conductor.” Kravitz focused on his vase. “But unfortunately life, or death in this case, finds a way of pushing you where you need to go.”

             “Like for a choo-choo train?” Taako recalled an unfortunate train trip he had taken with Magnus and Merle a few months prior?

             “Not exactly.” Kravitz chuckled at his companion’s verbiage. “Like an orchestra conductor.”

             “With coattails and everything?” Now this was something Taako was into. “God, I would kill to see you in a tuxedo.”

             Kravitz paused. “Well if you want, there is a benefit concert at Orchestra Hall next week that Angus is playing in. It may not interest you, but it’s for a good cause and I can see about getting an extra ticket.”

             “You had me at benefit concert.” Excitement came over Taako in waves. “What’s the dress code for this little shindig?”

             “Black tie optional.”

             “I think I can handle that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A COUPLE OF THINGS
> 
> 1\. Obviously this won't be done by Valentines Day. I'm busier this semester than I expected so it's difficult to even get one chapter out a week. I'm going to be in DC for a conference this weekend so the next chapter might not come out for a couple weeks. Sorry this one is a little late, I almost got another concussion so I had to take it a bit easy. 
> 
> 2\. I haven't done pottery since the Vancouver Olympics were on tv so forgive me if the section involving that is a bit lacking. I was 1200 words in by the time I remembered the word "sculpting."
> 
> 3\. If you guys like the fic, I am considering writing a sequel about Lup and Barry planning their wedding. Let me know what you think in the comments if that would be something you would keep up with.


	8. The Seventh Thing I Like About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our story reaches it's climax at the benefit gala.

“LUP” A panicked scream came from across the apartment. Lup immediately got up, running into her brother’s room, to find him lying face first in a pile of formalwear.

“Not on the organza!” She yelped as she pulled her brother away from the pile.

“It’s hopeless.” He sobbed, refusing to make eye contact.

She smacked him across the face. “Don’t think like that. If there is anyone who can do this, it’s you.”

“What the fuck Lulu!” Taako massaged his jaw. “That actually really hurt.”

“Sorry, I got really into the scene.” Lup sat down beside her brother. “So, what’s the issue? Last time I saw you this distressed about clothing was when we got the news pleated pants were coming back.”

“That was a completely justified response, you know how I feel about pant width.” He wiped his tears on his sleeve. Remnants of yesterday’s makeup clung to the fabric, reminding him how lucky he was to have this breakdown before he started on his current look. “I can’t decide what I want to wear today.”

“I gathered.” Lup scanned the room. “Is today more of a dress or a tuxedo day?”

“That’s the problem. I can’t decide.” Taako did not bind himself to the norms of gendered clothing. While this brought a lot of freedom to his wardrobe, it also made the decision-making process that much harder.

“Do you know what Kravitz is wearing?” Lup was all too familiar with this process.

“Probably black.” Taako tried to think of what he had seen Kravitz wearing in the past month. “He looks so good in black.”

Lup debated on whether or not to mock her brother for his display of emotions and decided against it. “Do you want me to choose something for you?”

Taako rolled back onto the floor. “Yes please.”

* * *

            Kravitz pulled up to the entrance of the apartment building. As he stepped out of the car, he did a quick last check of his outfit. No visible scuffs on his shoes, slim black pants breaking perfectly against the top, black shirt with all the studs in place, despite the fact they couldn’t be seen under his charcoal vest and tie. He looked at his reflection in the car mirror. He stepped a little outside his comfort zone with the tuxedo jacket this evening, opting for a charcoal and black checkered pattern on the body of the jacket. It was subtle, but definitely a statement. His hair was pulled back, face shaved, cologne applied, teeth thoroughly brushed, flossed, and whitened. He walked to the front door and pressed the call button.

            “He’ll be right down.” He heard Lup’s voice through the speaker. Nerves began to build up. This wasn’t technically a date. Taako hadn’t technically agreed to date him. But it felt a lot like a date. He felt like a high schooler again, in the moments before prom. He hadn’t really enjoyed his senior prom, only going because his high school girlfriend insisted. Still, he remembered the moment he saw her walking down the stairs, the swell of emotions coursing through his body as she walked towards him.

            That had nothing on how he felt as Taako opened the door. Time didn’t stop, it ceased to exist entirely. There is a soundtrack movies often mention to accompany falling in love, be it wedding bells or violins. But in years to come when Kravitz would try to recall the moment that he knew, the very moment that he was experiencing right then or there, there was not a sound, sight, or smell that could have drawn his attention away.

Only Taako.

            “Hope you weren’t waiting too long.” A voice broke through his trance.

            “No, not at all.” If asked, Kravitz couldn’t actually discern how much time he had been standing there.

            “Well look at you!” Taako stepped back, looking his companion up and down. “Hot damn you clean up well. I wasn’t expecting a jacket like that but I love it!”

            “You look. . .” Kravitz searched for words. In his stilettos, Taako was almost as tall as Kravitz. This was not to say that Taako was particularly short without them, more so that Kravitz was particularly tall. He had also opted for a tuxedo, certainly not one lacking the patented Taako charm. Where Kravitz wore a slim pant, Taako’s pants were skinny, ending right at his ankle. He also opted for a black shirt and a black vest, but stole the show with a red sequin tuxedo jacket. His hair was intricately piled on top of his head in a style Kravitz didn’t quite understand was possible. “How did you do that?”

            “Lup is a miracle worker.” He sauntered towards the car. “Granted, it helps to be graced with some natural beauty.”

             “So how were classes this week?” Kravitz attempted to make small talk as they made the 15 minute drive to Orchestra Hall.

            “I went to them.” Some weeks that was all you could ask for. “That’s more than I can say for Lup.”

            “Does she skip class often?”

            “Not so much skip, more like she forgets to wake up for them and throws things at me when I try to wake her up.” Taako responded. “There’s a reason we don’t share a room anymore.”

            “Well I have to admit, I would not exactly consider myself a morning person either.” Kravitz admitted. He wasn’t the type to need multiple alarms to get up, but he was pretty grumpy before his morning coffee. “There may be a reason I live alone.”

            “I’m sure you’re not that bad in the morning.” Taako teased, wondering what it would be like to wake up next to him. He tried to chase the thought away. “Who can be grouchy when staring at a big old plate of eggs and bacon.”

            “Well if the right person was cooking it, I can’t imagine anyone.” Kravitz comment was innocuous, but the implication made Taako’s heart skip a beat.

            Taako tried to think of a response when Kravitz’s phone rang. “Are you going to get that?”

            Kravitz pressed a button on his dashboard and the call played through the speakers. “Kravitz, are you here yet?”

            “Angus, is everything okay?” He immediately sounded concerned.

            “I’m okay, it’s just. . .” Angus paused. “You’ll be here soon right?”

            “Wouldn’t dare miss it.” Kravitz replied as Angus hung up the phone. “Sorry about that, he’s a little nervous.”

            “Well then floor it babe, we have a show to catch.”

* * *

            “I’m sorry, I cannot let you go past this point.” An employee of the venue stopped them from walking into the theater.

            Kravitz tried to call Angus again, but the message went straight to voicemail. “Could you just get a message to someone back there? It seems his phone is off.”

            “Um, I don’t think I can do that.” It made sense. Apart from the children’s orchestra, there were a few B-list celebrities that were also performing that night. It was the stage in between having an actual career and being a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

            “Please sir!” Taako stepped forward. “Our son is one of the performers tonight and he forgot his lucky necklace! He can’t go on without it!”

            “Do you have a name?” The employee was unsure of the protocol, but didn’t want to get in the way of a stage parent, even an unusually young one.

            “Angus McDonald.” Kravitz stepped back in after a sharp nudge to the ribs. “He’s a cellist with the Neverwinter Youth Symphony Orchestra.”

            “Give me one moment.” The employee spoke softly into a walkie talkie.

            “Our son?” Kravitz questioned Taako in a hushed tone.

            “Trust me, I was in show business. Lup was my stage parents and she always got her way.”

            The door opened and a little boy came ran through. “Hello sirs.”

            Kravitz bent down to his level. He was shaking from the nerves. “What seems to be the problem?”

            “I’m just. . .” He looked around. “I just wanted to make sure that you were here.”

            “Okay Ango, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.” Taako put his hand on Angus’s shoulder. “It may come as a shock but I used to get stage fright too back when I was on Teen Master Chef.”

            “I don’t have stage fright.” Angus was utterly unconvincing.

            “Don’t worry about it, all the greats get a little nervous sometimes. You need that pressure to put on a good show.” Taako insisted.

            “But what if I mess up?” Angus’s poorly constructed brave façade began to crack. “What if I drop my bow or trip on stage or forget how to play? I don’t know what I’m doing.”

            “Come closer.” Taako gestured that he wanted to whisper something only to Angus. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You better not tell anyone else.”

            Angus nodded.

            “I didn’t become a famous TV chef because of talent or beauty or any of those reasons. I may look like this now, but I was once just a normal kid like yourself.”

            “How did you do it.”

            “It was because I had this.” Taako removed his bowtie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. He pulled out a thin chain with a small silver pendant on it.

            “A necklace?”

            “It’s not just any necklace. This is a magic necklace passed down from generation to generation.” He began to remove it. “This is what got me my own television series and it’s what will get you through your performance tonight.”

            “Oh my goodness sir, are you sure you can give me something so precious?” Angus looked like he was about to cry.

            “It’s not a gift, little man, it’s a loan. I expect it back in pristine condition when you get off the stage.” Taako replied as he clasped it around Angus’s neck. “You should already be able to feel the magic.”

            “I feel it!” The little boy’s eyes immediately brightened. “Thank you, sir! I won’t let you down.”

* * *

            The children’s orchestra was not meant to be the main event of the evening. Given the benefit was related to child welfare, they mainly stood as a reminder for the audience to keep their checkbooks open, antiquated as that statement may be. But those kids were the reason why Kravitz was there.

            “Oh my god, is Angus first chair?” Taako nudged him as the kids set up their stands.

            “Yes he is, a well-deserved position.” Pride radiated from Kravitz’s frame.

            Taako didn’t expect to be that invested music played by children. He didn’t dislike children but he certainly wasn’t extraordinarily fond of them. However, as soon as that music started playing he only had one focus. He didn’t really know Angus, but he felt drawn to the kid. Not only was he important to Kravitz, there was something about him that Taako couldn’t ignore. He wasn’t sure if he liked or hated the kid, but he was thoroughly invested.

            Both adults sprung to their feet as soon as the music stopped. They didn’t pay attention to whether or not the rest of the audience had joined them, it didn’t matter.

            “That’s my son!” Taako screamed towards the stage, pointing at Angus. “Oh my god Kravitz, did you see that! He was amazing!”

            Kravitz got carried away by Taako’s joy. “That’s our son!”

            “First chair cello everyone!” Taako addressed the people in their section, who had taken notice of the overly exuberant pair. “He takes after his father.”

            The actual Neverwinter orchestra played after the children, which was certainly more skillful but not nearly as entertaining in Taako’s opinion. After that there was a brief intermission as the stage was cleared for most exciting performances. Taako and Kravitz walked into the lobby, making their way to the long line at the bar.

            As the rest of the attendees began to file back into the auditorium, Kravitz gestured for Taako to follow him. There was a small patio open in the back for attendees to get some fresh air. It was quiet, still a bit too chilly outside for people to fully enjoy the landscaping.

            “Intermission is almost over, what’s up?”

            “Before we go back, I just wanted to say something.” Kravitz started. Taako began to feel very nervous. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t exactly know why I asked you out originally.”

            Taako’s stomach sank. “Oh, is that so.”

            “Oh my god! Not like that!” Kravitz kicked himself. “By that I mean. . . we’ve known each other for roughly a month. I mean actually known each other. It is such a short period of time; a month is nothing. And yet, every moment I have spent with you has brought so much meaning into my life I can’t clearly remember a time before it. It’s like I was holding my breath for so long I’d forgotten how it feels to breath. Do you remember. . . the challenge you extended to me?”

            “I do.” Taako’s voice came through without conscious thought.

            “I’m going to be honest, it was quite a challenge.” Kravitz laughed. “Not so much to find things that I like about you, but to narrow it down to just seven. Would you like me to tell you them?”

            “If you must.” Coy as Taako’s response was, internally he was a mess of emotions. The chilled winter air, soft blanket of snow on the patio where they stood, lights decorating the awning above head as to set just the right mood. It was the most romantic thing he had ever experienced.

            “The first time we talked on the phone, we spent hours just talking about science. Half of the things you said went completely over my head, but the way you said them made me excited about it as well. When I ran into you in the mall that one time, I was petrified. When you started shopping for me, I was frankly more petrified. But you considered what I would like and what I would look good in and created an outfit so perfectly tailored to me.”

            “You would look good in anything but go on.” Taako was thoroughly invested.

            “When we got to the club, did you even notice how the entire club got brighter? Not just when you were on stage, which was incredible. Just your presence was enough to make everyone that much more joyful. I felt mortified the next day when I realized how unclear I had been in my communications. But you were so understanding. You went through all that effort just to find out the truth and I find that rather admirable how much you care.”

            “I told you, I was just taking a walk around campus, there was really no effort involved.”

            “Right. You got me banned from bar trivia, which I’m not entirely happy about, but I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly cute you are when you get competitive. I really thought I knew you.” Kravitz paused. “And then we went to the Chug and Squeeze, and you opened up to me. I normally don’t talk too much about my family and I get the feeling you don’t either. I guess that was the moment it all became real for me. You’re not just Taako: the campus idol or Taako: the television teen heartthrob. You’re Taako: the guy who made a bowl on vase night and references old Patrick Swayze movies and doesn’t even notice when you have clay on your face.”

            Neither of them had noticed the distance between them growing smaller and smaller. By that point there was at most a foot in between them. “I only counted six things.”

            “I had something else in mind for the seventh thing, but then I saw you give that necklace to Angus tonight and I was blown away. That kid has such bad anxiety when it comes to performing, but he was flawless on stage in a way I’ve never seen him and that is all thanks to you. You have this power to make every person around you just plain better. I know that deal if I found these seven things was that you would go out with me, but if it is just as friends, as long as I can stay by your side I’ll be happy.”

            Taako was already kissing him. It was awkward at first, as all first kisses are. Their lips were chilled from the cold and their hands didn’t quite know where to go. But that first kiss was everything.

            Kravitz was the first to pull away. “So, should I make a reservation?”

            “I made one three weeks ago.” Taako replied, pulling Kravitz back in.

           

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, here it is.
> 
> 1\. Taako's outfit is based off of one of the outfits Johnny Weir wore to the olympics this year because I am obsessed with figure skating and Johnny Weir's instagram is pretty much what I imagine Taako's closet looks like.
> 
> 2\. There is one chapter left planned and depending on response I made write a dirty chapter for after their date. We'll have to see, my girlfriend reads this fanfic.
> 
> 3\. What was the gala for? I don't know, something benefiting children. I don't go to black tie events, I just dress people for them.


End file.
